Whatever The Response May Be
by Annaelle
Summary: 'Are you ready for this, Elena' Elena turned to look at her friend and smiled, twirling her engagement ring on her finger. 'Yeah,' she nodded, a smile forming on her lips at the thought of her wickedly handsome fiancé waiting for her down the aisle, 'Yeah, I'm ready.' Sequel to 'The Way It Was Meant To Be'.


**So, a lot of you PM'ed, demanding I write the wedding as well as the wedding night and possibly the honeymoon, so I thought I'd give it a go. **

**This is a sequel to 'The Way It Was Meant To Be', there will be one more Oneshot posted, which will definitely earn an M-rating. You'll have to wait for that one though, because writing lemons and smut scares the hell out of me and always takes me forever :D**

**Anyway, I'm not sure if I got the sentiments and emotions right, but I hope you guys like! **

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Damon... But I don't.  
**

**R ****& R!**

**PS... Pics of the rings and outfits will be posted on my Facebook and Twitter-account. Links to both are to be found on my profile.**

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**Whatever The Response May Be**

Elena tugged on her wavy, perfectly mussed curled hair, biting her lip nervously as she stared into the mirror. Caroline had finished her make-up in record time, and was now running around like a headless chicken, checking detail after detail, making sure Elena's day would be perfect.

She had told her friend to relax, that it would be perfect no matter what, but Caroline being Caroline, didn't listen and switched into planning mode instantly.

She sighed at herself, rolling her eyes at her mirror image.

She wasn't nervous, per se, but she did feel jitters and butterflies in the pit of her stomach, and she felt slightly lightheaded.

She turned and smiled at Bonnie, who was studying her with rapped attention—she nearly groaned at the sight. Her friends had been happy for her, but they had been hounding her nearly twenty-four-seven since she proposed to Damon, sometimes gently enquiring if she was sure, other times downright arguing with her, telling her she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

Elena had been so afraid to lose her friends—but then realized that it wouldn't be fair to her or Damon to give up what they had just because a few people didn't approve. If Bonnie and Caroline were really her friends, they'd accept Elena's choice and stop trying to convince her to not marry Damon.

Jeremy had surprised her the most. She knew he didn't really like Damon—and she really couldn't blame him for it either—but after she had nearly molested Damon in the Grille, and she had brought him to the booth to tell her friends of their make-up and engagement, even though most of them were supernaturals who had heard every word anyway.

She wanted to tell them nonetheless though, partly because she felt that they needed to hear it from the both of them one more time, and partly because she knew Damon would still be slightly insecure—scared that she would change her mind; she knew that, and she knew he would be until she said 'I do.'

So when she had pulled him up to the booth, her fingers laced tightly with his, and she'd told them they were getting married, Jeremy had gotten up, kissed his sister on the cheek and hugged Damon.

She'd puzzled over that particular enigma for days, until she found Damon and Jeremy playing video games after Damon had slept over at her place.  
When she had asked Jeremy, he'd explained that he wasn't blind, and though he might not particularly like Damon, he knew Damon loved her, and that she loved him, and that Damon made her smile again—he made her happy, and that was all Jeremy had ever wanted for her.

She sighed and shook off her thoughts—today was all about her and Damon, no need for sad or melancholic thoughts.

'You ready, Elena?' Bonnie asked, that thoughtful, hesitant look still in her eyes.

Elena breathed in deeply and looked into the mirror one more time, smiling at her own reflection. Her cheeks were rosy with a blush she hadn't had since she had been turned, her eyes were shining with happiness, her skin was creamy and flawless and her dress…

Her dress fit her like a glove.

It was creamy white and strapless, her breasts pushed up slightly by the push up bra she was wearing underneath the dress and the belt around her waist. The skirt fanned out around her, swishing around her legs. The embroidery on the bust continued on the front of the skirt.

It was beautiful, and simple, and just what she wanted.

And she knew Damon would absolutely love her in it. She twirled her engagement ring on her finger nervously, smiling fondly at the memory of Damon presenting her with a ring.

_Damon was resting his head on Elena's chest, both enjoying the content feeling that filled them after laying in each other's arms all night without interruption. Her fingers were playing with his hair, and she almost felt like purring_—s_he loved this feeling. _

_She loved sleeping in Damon's arms_—_it made her feel safer than anything else. _

_Elena was wearing one of Damon's button down shirts, completely unbuttoned, revealing her dark blue lace lingerie set that she knew made him crazy._

_She smirked slightly when he literally purred as her fingers stroked that soft spot behind his ear_—_the spot that drove him insane whenever she touched it_—_and she found herself smiling, wishing moments like these_—_peaceful, easy moments—would last into eternity. _

_Of course, she knew that wasn't likely. _

_Stefan hadn't spoken to either of them in days, Klaus was still kind of freakish and creepy, even though he was rather mellow, they were still looking for that damn cure, and their lives just wouldn't stop throwing curveballs at them. _

_'I love you,' she breathed, briefly stroking his cheek, before she resumed stroking his soft, silky hair.  
She felt his lashes tickle her skin when he closed his eyes, before he pressed a soft, sweet, innocent kiss to her breast. _

_'I love you too,' he whispered, his fingers tracing invisible circles on the soft skin of her stomach. It tingled, sending shivers down her spine. _

_'Elena?' He muttered after a short, comfortable silence. _

_'Yeah?' _

_'I know you proposed to me,' he whispered—leaning up on his elbows to look her in the eye—tightening his grip on her hip slightly. _

_She giggled. 'Hmm… That I did.' _

_He rolled his eyes at her and smirked when she tugged on his hair lightly—she didn't need to tell him what she wanted and she loved it—he just knew. She tugged at his hair again when he didn't move, pulling him up to her lips—a request to which he happily obliged. _

_He kissed her languidly, her fingers curling into his hair with one hand, while her other hand rested on his lower back, pulling his hard, muscled body against hers. She loved the way he pressed into her, the way his body just seemed to fit perfectly with hers. _

_She couldn't wait to be married to him—to be able to claim him in a way no one else had ever done before—to have him in a way none of the other women before her had. _

_Of course, he claimed she was the only one he had ever loved, the only one that had ever held his heart, but she knew he cared about others before her—Rose, Andie, hell, even Katherine… But she would be the only to put a ring on his finger and claim him as hers for the rest of their lives._

_Slowly, she remembered there was something he was going to say before she kissed him—her curiosity peaked and she pulled away from his lips, giggling at his pout. 'You were going to say something,' she reminded him, tracing his jaw with her fingers. _

_He sighed and dropped his forehead to hers, and reached for something in the bedside cabinet, his eyes locked on hers. After a few tantalizing seconds, he found what he was looking for and withdrew his hand from the drawer, his prize clutched tightly in his fist. _

_'So,' he began—and he sounded almost … nervous—, 'I know you proposed to me; but I like some traditions… So can I do it again? The way I would've proposed to you?' _

_She nearly swooned—Jesus fucking Christ; that man was lethal when he was being cocky, but he was dangerous when he was being all sweet and Prince Charming with fangs. _

_'Of course you can,' she whispered, leaning up to press a soft, quick kiss to his lips. 'Of course.' _

_'I love you,' he began, 'I love you more than I ever thought possible. I don't want to lose you, or let you go. Never. I was so stupid when we first met. And some more after that. I thought I loved Katherine. I never did. But I love you, and I want to tell you that every single day, for the rest of our lives. I want you forever.' He took a shaky breath. 'So marry me, Elena.'_

_She gasped, blinking away the tears that had formed in her eyes during his little speech, and stared at the beautiful, simple ring that he was holding up. It was silver, and small blue stones were imbedded in the ring, surrounded by tiny little diamonds. It was simple—not too much, but not too little either._

_ He knew she did not like flashy jewelry—and he had known this was _the_ ring the very moment he laid eyes upon it. 'It's a daylight ring too,' he added in a hushed whisper_—_she stared at him in confusion, so he smiled and explained, 'I know that Stefan gave you the other one, and while it's beautiful… I thought you might like this one more… ' He swallowed. 'It was my mother's. She would have loved you.'_

_'Oh, God, Damon,' she breathed, 'Yes, yes, yes!' Slowly, and very carefully, he lifted her hand and slid her old daylight ring off, placing it on the nightstand, and slid the ring onto her finger, barely getting the time to admire the ring before she pounced on him, kissing him as though her life depended on it. _

_His fingers fisted in her hair as he kissed her passionately, pouring every ounce of love he possessed for her in the kiss. _

_For the first time, he was sure she'd always be his. _

_He loved her and she loved him. They were meant to be—something they were both convinced of. _

She turned and smiled at Bonnie. 'Yeah,' she nodded, a smile forming on her lips at the thought of her wickedly handsome fiancé waiting for her down the aisle, 'Yeah, I'm ready.'

She watched warily as her friend stood, wringing her hands nervously. 'Elena, sweetie, you know that I love you, right? You're my best friend, and I just want to look out for you.'

Elena closed her eyes.

Oh no.

She did not want to have this discussion again.

Not today.

'Bonnie_—_' she began, but her friend held up a hand and shook her head. 'No, Elena, let me finish. Look, I don't really like Damon_—_never have, never will_—_but he loves you. He would do anything to make you happy. And that's what matters most to me_—_he'll treat you right because he loves you. I don't like him, but you love him…' She took a deep breath, and Elena bit her lip hard to choke back the burning tears in her eyes.

'I'll try, Elena,' Bonnie smiled, her eyes brimming with tears, 'I'll try to get along with him. And he will too.'

At that, Elena couldn't hold back the tears of emotion and burst into tears, flashing across the room to envelop Bonnie in a hug, blubbering onto her best friend's shoulder. After clinging to each other for a while, they wiped away their tears, Bonnie straightening her beautiful purple bride's maid's dress.

'Okay,' Bonnie smiled shakily, 'I'm going to go downstairs_—_Jeremy is waiting for me. You'll hear the music…'

Elena nodded and wiped away a few lingering tears, smiling as her best friend headed down the stairs, to meet up with Jeremy. She looked around the guest room she'd holed herself up in for the past twenty-four hours and felt her smile grow.

In a few minutes, she'd be Mrs. Elena Salvatore.

Yeah. That sounded pretty good.

'Elena?'

She nearly jumped and turned around, her eyes widening. 'Stefan? What are you doing here?'

He shot her a bittersweet smile that nearly broke her heart—she bit back the snarky remark that lay on the tip of her tongue and tilted her head, signaling him to continue.

He took a step closer to her, his eyes flashing with something she couldn't really identify. 'You look so beautiful,' he whispered. 'I always thought when I'd see you in a wedding dress, I'd be the groom,' he whispered, and Elena bit her lip, slightly uncomfortable. He swallowed and shook his head, and Elena took a wary step back—Stefan hadn't talked to her in weeks.

Not since she'd proposed to Damon in front of everyone.

'Thank you,' she replied, 'I really have to get down there.' She glanced at the door, 'Damon's waiting.'

Stefan groaned and bit his lip again. 'I need to know, Elena. I need to know for sure if it's not the sire bond. Because if it is, I need to fix you, I need you to be human again.'

Her vision tinted red.

Was he retarded?

She broke the sire bond—in front of him! In front of everyone.

'It's not the sire bond, Stefan,' she growled, 'I love Damon. I'm sorry for hurting you, you know that, but I'm not going to give up what Damon and I have because you aren't ready to move on. I don't need to be fixed. I don't want to be human again. Is that so hard to accept? Is it that hard to believe that I love your brother?'

She could see the hurt in his eyes—she could see his heart breaking all over again—and it killed her; but he needed this.

He needed to let her go—and she had to break his heart to make him do it.

'I know you loved me, Stefan, and I loved you, but that girl died on Wickery Bridge. Maybe even before—I choose Damon, Stefan. I love your brother, and I'm going downstairs to marry him, and you need to accept that. He's your brother. Don't let this tear the two of you apart.'

She sighed and offered him a small smile. 'I have to go. I hope you'll be there, for Damon,' she whispered, before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway, taking another deep breath before she headed towards the stairs.

Her previous excitement and butterfly jitters returned, and she smiled—no more drama.

She was done with drama.

Today was her wedding day—she was marrying the man she loved more than she loved anything else in the entire world—there would be no more reasons for sadness today.

She slowly descended the stairs, almost as though in a haze, hardly aware of the music. Jeremy was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

'Is he here?' she whispered. 'Is Ric here too?' Jeremy smiled and glanced to Elena's right. 'Of course he is. He's walking you down the aisle.'

She choked back more tears and nodded, turning to her right, smiling at thin air—but she could nearly feel him. 'Hi Ric,' she whispered, 'Thank you, for being here.' Jeremy chuckled and said, 'He says you look beautiful. Damon's head is going to explode.'

She giggled, and looked up when the music began. Bonnie nearly ran towards Jeremy and dragged him towards the backdoor, where the aisle began.

Elena waited until they had disappeared and then smiled at the empty air beside her. 'Well, here we go, Ric…' Slowly, she walked through the large double doors, smiling at the sight before her.

All of their best friends were gathered to see them tie the knot—Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy, Meredith, Liz and even Klaus were gathered around the small, white gazebo that had been set up in the middle of the Boarding House's garden.

The gazebo was decorated simply, rose vines wrapping around the pillars, small bouquets placed on either side of the aisle. And in front of the small group, stood one, tall, lone figure.

Damon was standing off to one side on the steps of the gazebo, a smile spreading on his face as Elena's eyes met his. She enjoyed the way his eyes widened when he took in what she was wearing, though she was thoroughly distracted by his own attire.

Her heart—that wasn't supposed to beat—beat too fast as the only thing she was aware of anymore was her smoking hot soon-to-be husband waiting for her at the end of this way-too-long aisle.

He looked sinfully delicious in his Armani tux, his hair slightly mussed up, as though he had been running his fingers through it multiple times.

'Hi beautiful,' he whispered when he took her hand in his, before shifting his eyes to her right and smirking. 'Hi there, buddy.'

'Hi,' she whispered back, once again overcome by emotions, unable to stop the single tear that ran down her cheek.

Damon smiled and wiped her tear away with the pad of his thumb, his own eyes watering too—Elena bit her lip and managed a smile.  
She never thought she'd see the day Damon would tear up and get all emotional in front of other people than she herself, but she was beyond touched that he allowed himself to just be on their wedding day.

He took both her hands in his, lifting them to his lips to press a soft, tender kiss on her knuckles before they turned to Liz, who would be officiating the wedding.

Elena couldn't tear her gaze from Damon's eyes, completely wrapped up in her fiancé's burning gaze. She faintly registered Liz beginning the ceremony, but she tuned out, her only focus on the man standing before her, the man she was pledging herself to for eternity.

It wasn't until Damon suddenly blinked in confusion and snapped his gaze to Liz that Elena realized that they were supposed to read their vows.

She heard Caroline and Bonnie giggle and felt a faint, barely-there blush burn on her cheeks as Damon coughed and smiled at her nervously before he began.

'Elena,' he started, taking a deep, unnecessary breath, 'I'm not one for epic declarations of love, and I'm not an easy person to be around—'

'You got that right,' Caroline coughed loudly—and for a moment; just a moment; Elena wanted to snap her best friend's neck for that inappropriate remark—she didn't care that Caroline was her best friend; this was _her_ wedding, and Damon was _trying_ to give Elena the kind of vows she knew he felt she deserved; Caroline had no business butting in.

But then Damon's eyes found hers again, and she felt her anger melt away.

Damon ignored the interruption and continued, his voice slightly shakier than it had been before. '—but you saw something in me. Something, I didn't even know existed anymore. And I love you. I feel like I've loved you for so long, there wasn't even a time that I didn't.'

She gasped for breath and tried to hold back her tears at the utter conviction and emotion in his words.

'And I'm never going to stop loving you—so today, I pledge myself to you, body and soul, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish for the rest of eternity,' he finished, sending a small watery smile—and she choked back a sob at the glistening tears his cerulean eyes.

Liz turned to her, and Elena swallowed back her nerves. She had been contemplating what to say when she spoke her vows to Damon for days, weeks even, before she realized that, whatever she would say, it would always be perfect.

'Damon,' she began, 'My dear, sweet, pain-in-the-ass Damon… I know that I fought you—us—for so long… Too long… But I need you to know that I always loved you—always. You were always there for me, always fought for me, always saved me, kept me safe. You were my rock, my protector, my everything—and you are always going to be all of those things to me. I am going to pledge myself to you, body and soul, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish for the rest of eternity.'

Damon tenderly wiped away the tear that had rolled down her cheek while she spoke, and she could see how he struggled to keep his own tears at bay.

'I love you,' she mouthed, her heart soaring in happiness such as she hadn't felt in a very long time. Damon grinned and mouthed the words back to her as Liz stated, 'Do you, Elena Marie Gilbert, take this man, Damon Francesco Salvatore, to be your lawfully wedded husband?'

Tears were now flowing down her cheeks, as she nodded slightly, choking, 'I do.' Slowly, she slid the simple, silver wedding band onto the third finger of his left hand, caressing the fingerprint that had been imbedded in the ring with a small smile.

Damon seemed to be unable to fight back his tears and emotions anymore as his own tears ran down his cheeks, his lips twisting into a radiant smile when Liz turned to him.  
'And do you, Damon Francesco Salvatore, take this woman, Elena Marie Gilbert, to be your lawfully wedded wife?'

Elena knew Damon loathed showing any sort of emotion in front of others—it supposedly messed with his bad-boy-image—but he merely smiled through the tears that were coating his skin and replied, 'I do.'

He slid her wedding band—a copy of his, but with his fingerprint and slightly smaller—onto her finger, caressing both her engagement ring/daylight ring and the wedding band as they waited for Liz to pronounce them husband and wife.

They were already moving closer together, without any sort of conscious thought, both too impatient to wait for Liz to tell Damon he could kiss his bride. Their bodies moved almost automatically, Elena hardly even heard Liz speak the words that declared her and Damon bound together for eternity, and she doubted Damon did.

It felt like the most natural, most real thing she had ever done, her arms sliding around Damon's neck as his fingers curled into her hair, their lips colliding softly, but no less passionate then any of their other kisses—but she could feel the difference.

This wasn't merely a kiss, no simple brush of the lips—no, this was a promise for the future; corny as it sounded, she was sure she could feel their souls entwining on a new level.  
It was a cure; not a cure for vampirism, or any cure of those sorts—but a cure for all the heartache and pain they had caused each other in the past three years; for everything that had once seemed irreparable between them.

Damon was the one to pull away from her, resting his forehead against hers as they listened to their friends cheering and whooping. She hugged him close and pressed another soft kiss to his lips, her heart feeling so light, and so filled with love, she was sure could fly away if she tried.

'You're my husband,' she whispered, staring deeply into his eyes, loving how she could read his every emotion and sentiment.

He smiled and whispered, 'And you're my wife. Forever.'

She nodded and smiled. Somehow, spending forever with Damon sounded like the best decision she'd ever made.

She tightened her embrace and whispered, 'Forever.'

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**Xx Annaelle**


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